operators_manual

that Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Regulation 392.7 requires a pre-trip
inspection and so do commercial trucking
companies.
You are not expected to become a
professional mechanic. The purpose of
your inspections is to find anything that
might interfere with the safe and efficient
transportation of yourself, any passengers,
and your load. If you do find something
wrong and cannot fix it yourself, have an
authorized dealer or qualified mechanic
repair your vehicle right away.
The following operations are to be
performed by the driver. Performing these
checks and following the maintenance
procedures in this manual will help keep
your vehicle running properly.
Vehicle Loading
Compare your vehicle's load capacity with
the total load you are carrying. If
adjustments need to be made, make them,
do not drive an overloaded vehicle. If you
are overloaded or your load has shifted,
your vehicle may be unsafe to drive.
WARNING
Do not exceed the specified load rat-
ing. Overloading can result in loss of
vehicle control, either by causing com-
ponent failures or by affecting vehicle
handling. Exceeding load ratings can
also shorten the service life of the ve-
hicle. Failure to comply may result in
death or personal injury.
WARNING
An unevenly distributed load or exces-
sive load over one axle can adversely
affect the braking and handling of your
vehicle, which could result in an acci-
dent. Even if your load is under the le-
gal limits, be sure it is distributed even-
ly. Failure to comply may result in
death, personal injury, equipment or
property damage.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
or the maximum front and rear Gross Axle
Weight Ratings are determined by the
components installed from the factory on to
the vehicle and their designed
specifications. (Axle weight ratings are
listed on the driver's door edge.)
GVWR is the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
This is the MAXIMUM WEIGHT your
vehicle is allowed to carry, including
the weight of the empty vehicle,
loading platform, occupants, fuel, and
any load. Never exceed the GVWR of
your vehicle.
GCW
is the actual combined weight, or
Gross Combination Weight (GCW), of
your vehicle and its load: vehicle, plus
trailer(s), plus cargo.
GAWR is the Gross Axle Weight Rating. This
is the total weight that one axle is
designed to transmit to the ground.
You will find this number listed on the
driver's door edge.
Load
Distribution
be sure any load you carry is
distributed so that no axle has to
support more than its GAWR.
Be sure that the load on the vehicle is
distributed evenly across each axle so that
no axle has to support more than its rated
GAWR. In total, the vehicle and its load
should not exceed the GAWR for each axle
and must not exceed the GCW
SAFETY - Vehicle Loading
Y53-6047-2HEN (03/18) 35
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